Drawing Techniques for Stippling Metal
Metal tends to be far more reflective than other materials, especially when polished. To make a drawing of a metal object look more realistic, therefore, the artist must correctly shade the object so that it looks like it is reflecting light. One way to shade drawings of metal objects in a way that makes them look metallic is to use stippling, a shading technique used by pen artists. This technique not only accurately depicts the lighting in the room and how it interacts with the metal object, but it can make the object look more three-dimensional as well.
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Instructions
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Draw the outline of the object that you are drawing by moving the pencil lightly across the page. Pressing too hard will make it more difficult to remove the pencil marks, and you may have to start over.
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Erase any stray pencil marks that are not a part of the outline. These marks may potentially interfere with the stippling process.
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Trace over the pencil lines carefully with the pen, darkening the lines as you go.
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Determine which direction the light will come from in your drawing. Keep in mind that the light may come from more than one angle.
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Decide how polished you want the metal in your drawing to be. Iron and bronze do not look very shiny, for example, while polished steel can be shiny enough to show a reflection.
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Avoid putting pen marks where the light hits the object the most until you are almost done with the drawing. On a white piece of paper, for example, you cannot draw the highlighted areas where the light bounces off. You must instead shade everything else and have the shading serve as the contrast for any highlights. Doing this will make these areas pop out. While you can add some pen marks in the end to the highlighted areas, keep them minimal.
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Add small dots to the object with your pen. Add the most dots to the part of the object that has the least exposure to light. At the same time, avoid adding dots to areas that will reflect the light. The distance between the dots affects how dark the object looks. In the lightest areas, for instance, the dots will be spread comparatively far apart.
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Tips & Warnings
Consider drawing outlines for the areas that you will shade or highlight. When you’re shading, the outlines will help you control where you shade the object.
Hold a metal object and look at the reflections on it. Since you may not always notice the reflections because you’re not used to looking at these features, you may need to train yourself to notice them. Draw the reflections in the metal exactly as you see them.
